Medical syringes are used widely by the medical community to extract blood from patients. However, the handling and disposal of such syringes has always been problematic. In particular, the handling of used needles is of prime importance because of the safety risks faced by health care providers. For example, AIDS and other diseases can be transmitted by inadvertent contact with a used needles; and, therefore, such contact should be avoided to the full extent possible.
The methods in the prior art have attempted to deal with these problems. For example, one prior art syringe, U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,397, utilizes a pliable sleeve to orient the needle when not in use. Other prior art methods include (i) a "single use" blood collection device, U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,107, and (ii) a needle guard which destroys the needle after use, U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,234. Still other prior art syringes utilize various forms of needle guards, or complex locking mechanisms, such as shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,242,416, 5,267,972, and 5,269,761.
Each of the aforementioned prior art syringe systems have certain drawbacks for effectively handling used syringe needles. Further, such systems often lack practical compatibility with the health care worker. That is, syringe systems which are designed to protect the health care worker from the used needles are typically bulky and/or difficult to wield in a clinical setting.
It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide a stick-free syringe which reduces the afore-mentioned difficulties.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a syringe which is physiologically compatible with normal use of the syringe, and which securely and safely stores the needle after use.